Death at Kyn Add
The hour was close to again and a need for sleep Ross's eyelids, was a as as hunger. Still had him on deck, sent him to pacing, to this and its crew.
He had the ships of the Terran Bronze Age traders—small to those of his own time, upon when the wind failed their sails, along than too into seas, sometimes up at the each night. There had been other ships, leaner, hardier. Those had into the unknown, lands the sea mists, and by men by the need to learn what the horizon.
And here was such a ship, taut, well kept, larger than the Viking Ross had on the of the Project's collection, yet most like those far-faring Terran craft. The up in a where was the of the sea Ross had in the Hawaika of his own time. The of that with a regular of light which the Terran did not understand. Was it a or a device to a possible enemy?
There were sails, now as this ship on, to the of what only be an engine. And his held. A Viking by motor? The mixture was incongruous.
The were as to face. All of them the armor, the skull-strip helmets. Though there were in and the choice of weapons. The majority of the men did curve-pointed swords, though those were and than those the Terran had ashore. But had with sickle-shaped heads, points so that they nearly met to a circle.
Spaced at regular on were objects what gun ports. And smaller ones of the same type were on the at the and in the prow, their muzzles, if the square might be muzzles, the head. Catapults of some type? Ross wondered.
"Rosss—" His name was the Loketh used, but it was not the Wrecker who joined him now at the of the ship. "Ho ... that was magic, that knowledge of yours!"
Vistur his reminiscently. "You have big magic, sea man. But then you the Maid, do you not? Your has told us that the great fish and her."
"Some fish," Ross.
"Such fish as that, perhaps?" Vistur pointed to the wake of foam.
Startled, Ross in that direction. Torgul's was the in a of ships, and those in a line, three of them. Coming up now to port in the two was a dark object. In the limited light Ross be sure of nothing save that it the ships, appeared to on or only in the water, and that its speed was less than that of the it pursued.
"A fish—that?" Ross asked.
"Watch!" Vistur ordered.
But the Hawaikan's must have been than the Terran's. Had there been a quick movement there? Ross not be sure.
"What happened?" He to Vistur for enlightenment.
"As a it now and then above the surface. But that is no salkar. Unless, Ross, you who say you are from the sea have any one we have in by or line this day."
The dolphins! Could Tino-rau or Taua or be in of the ships? But Karara ... Ross against the rail, until his to water from the of trying to make out the nature of the black blot. No use, the was too great. He his against the wood, trying to his impatience. More than of him wanted to into Torgul's quarters, that the Captain the ship about to up or that or trailers.
"Yours?" again Vistur asked.
Ross had tight on himself now. "I do not know. It well be."
It well be also that the thing would be to the Rovers to that he had a of sea much larger than the four Time castaways. The leader of an army—or a navy—had more in any than a of a party. But the that the be promise and worry—promise of allies, and worry over what had to Karara. Had she, too, after Ashe into the of the Foanna?
The day did not continue to lighten. Though there was no as had them the night before, there was an odd of sea and sky, vision. Shortly Ross was unable to the or followers. Even Vistur he had contact. Had the been outdistanced, or was it still the of the Rover ships?
Ross the with Captain Torgul, a of with a salty, flavor, and a thick mixture of what might be native fruit to a paste. Once he had food when in the it had meant eat or starve. And this was a like circumstance, since their had been in the net. But though he was apprehensive, no followed. Torgul had been earlier; now he was of tongue, that they were almost to their port—the of Kyn Add.
The Terran had no idea how he might question the Hawaikan, yet the his the better. He that Torgul appeared to accept Ross's that he was from a part of the sea and that local from those he knew.
Living on and by the sea the Rovers were quick-witted, adaptive, with a if loose-knit organization of fleet-clans. Each of these had over which them as "fairings," for and voyages, where the sea people the material for their ships. Colonies of took to the sea, not in the slim, like the ship Ross was now on, but in larger, providing and afloat. They by and raiding, only a of the year to fast-sprouting on their and in some of articles the of the larger and more were not able to duplicate.
Their main article of was, however, a sea-dwelling and well-tanned their and other uses. This only be by men and to more than one Torgul did not in detail. And a of such skins in to keep a normal-sized fleet-clan for a year.
There was among them. Rival to jump each other's territories, fairings. But until the past, Ross gathered, such were affairs, more upon and to the enemy to a position of in which he was to defeat, than of no quarter.
The shore-side Wrecker were always game, and there was no in Rover upon them. Those were with a cold-blooded to hard at a long-time foe. However, the past year there had been on with the same blood-bath result of a on a Wrecker port. And, since all the fleet-clans the sneak-and-strike, kill-and-destroy which had those Rover holdings, the were in their opinion as to the were the work of Wreckers acting out of and taking to the sea to to their enemies, or there was a moving against their own for some purpose no Rover yet guess.
"And you believe?" Ross asked as Torgul his résumé of the new his people.
Torgul's hand, its long, to Terran eyes, and across his he answered:
"It is very hard for one who has them long to that those are themselves to the waves, out to us with their swords. One not into the to a in the rump; not if one still has his safely under his braid. As for a ... what would turn against to the of children and women? Raiding for a wife, yes, that is common among our youth. And there have been over such matters. But not the killing of a woman—never of a child! We are a people who have as many as there are men who wish to them into the home cabin. And no has as many children as they the Shades will send them."
"Then who?"
When Torgul did not answer at once Ross at the Captain, and what the Terran he saw for an in the other's was a of danger. So much so that he out:
"You think that I—we—"
"You have named of the sea, stranger, and you have magic which is not ours. Tell me this in truth: Could you not have killed Vistur easily with those two if you had it?"
Ross took the course. "Yes, but I did not. My people kill no more than yours."
"The I know, and the Foanna, as well as any man may know their and ways, and my people—But you I do not know, sea stranger. And I say to you as I have said before, make me that I you to and I shall that mistake!"
"Captain!"
That had come from the door Ross. Torgul was on his with the movements of a man called many times in the past for an response to emergency.
The Terran was close on the Rover's as they the deck. A of on the port near the narrow bow. That odd quality this day provided a hard to pierce, but the men were at a low-riding object with the waves.
That was near for Ross to be able to a small to the one in which he, Karara, and Loketh had the sea gate of the Foanna.
Torgul took up a great by a on the mainmast. Setting its narrow end to his lips, he blew. A note, like the of a sea monster, over the waves. But there was no answer from the boat, no it any passengers.
"Hou, hou, hou—" Torgul's was re-echoed by calls from the other two cruisers.
"Heave to!" the Captain ordered. "Wakti, Zimmon, Yoana—out and that in!"
Three of the to the railing, there for a moment, and then almost as one into the water. A rope end was thrown, by one of them. And then they with powerful toward the boat. Once the rope was fast the small was toward Torgul's command, the it. Ross to know the for the of the men around him. It was the had some meaning for them.
Ross a of a the craft. Under Torgul's orders a was dropped, to rise, with a passenger. The Terran was from the rail as the was into the Captain's cabin. Several to make an of the itself.
Their came up, their along the rail and on Ross. The was so open the Terran himself to meet those cold as he would a from a challenger.
A sent Ross to the right, wanting to his against solid protection. Loketh came up, his making him so that he at the rail for support. In his other hand was one of the and ready.
"Get the murderers!" Someone in the line of the that.
Ross his diver's knife. Shaken at this in the crew's attitude, he was on the defensive. Loketh was him now and the Hawaikan to the sea.
"Better go there," he cried. "Over they try to you!"
"Kill!" The word into a from the Rovers. They started up the toward Ross and Loketh. Then someone between, and Vistur his own comrades.
"Stand away—" One of the others ran forward, at the tall Rover with a out-held arm to him out of their path.
Vistur rolled a shoulder, sending the away. He while two more, unable to halt, on him. Vistur on an hand and sent a spinning.
"What goes here!" Torgul's was loud to be heard. It stopped a of the and two more as the Captain out with his fists. Then he was Ross, and the in his was the threat the others had voiced.
"I told you, sea stranger, that if I you were a to me or mine, you would meet the Justice of Phutka!"
"You did," Ross returned. "And in what way am I now a danger, Captain?"
"Kyn Add has been taken by those who are not Wreckers, not Rovers, not those who the Foanna—but out of the sea!"
Ross only back, confused. And then the full of his home. Who those sea be, he had no idea, but that he was now out of his own mouth was true and he that these men were not going to to any from him in their present of mind.
The of the was that of a animal. Ross saw the in Loketh's choice. Far the open sea than the them.
But his time for choice had passed. Out of a gray-white net, him against a to him there. Ross to loose, got his around in time to see Loketh to the top of the rail, turn as if to himself at the men for the now Terran. But the Hawaikan's leg failed him and he overside.
"No!" Again Torgul's the crew. "He shall take the Black Curse with him when he goes to meet the Shadow—and only one can speak that curse. Bring him!"
Helpless, under their blows, along, Ross was into the Captain's cabin, by a up by and in Torgul's own chair.
A woman, her a death's of skin tight upon bone, yet a her mind above the of her body, looked at the Terran with eyes. She nursed a arm against her, and now and then her mouth as if she not some or physical pain.
"Yours is the cursing, Lady Jazia. Make it to for him as his has the of pain and on all of us."
She her good hand up to her mouth, its across her as if to their quiver. And all the time her upon Ross.
"Why do you me this man?" Her voice was strained, high. "He is not of those who the Shadow to Kyn Add."
"What—?" Torgul and then his voice to a more normal tone. "Those were from the sea?" He was in his questioning. "They came out of the sea, using against which we had no defense?"
She nodded. "Yes, they very sure that only the remained. But I had gone to the Shrine of Phutka, since it was my day of duty, and Phutka's power its over me. So I did not die, but I saw—yes, I saw!"
"Not those like me?" Ross to speak to her directly.
"No, not those like you. There were ... only so many—" She spread out her five fingers. "And they were all of one like as if in one birth. They had no on their heads, and their were of this hue—" She at one of the they had around her; it was a lavender-blue mixture.
Ross in his breath, and Torgul was fast to upon the he read in the Terran's face.
"Not your kind—but still you know them!"
"I know them," Ross agreed. "They are the enemy!"
The Baldies from the spaceships, that with he had once a on the of an sea in the past of his own world. The were here—and in active, if secret, with the natives!
